Tassel



Sept. 11, 1956 B. GLAGOVSKY TASSEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1955 INVENTOR. BERNARD 611960 VJ'KY Qua WM ATTORNEY :5

p 11, 1956 B. GLAGOVSKY 2,762,056

TASSEL Filed July 29, 1955 4 Shets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTOR.

BERNARD GLAGOVSKY ATTORNEYS Sept. 1956 B. GLAGOVSKY 2,762,056

TASSEL Filed July 29, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 g? 5 IN VEN TOR.

BER/V420 amaovsxr A TTORNEYS' Sept. 11, 1956 Filed July 29, 1955 B. GLAGOVSKY TASSEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 86016420 614601610 1 ATTORNEYS I formers being shown in elevation; Fig. 5

United States Patent TASSEL Bernard Glagovsky, Haverhfl], Mass. Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,200

3 Claims. (Cl. 2-278) The present invention relates to tassels, and more particularly to tassels of the type provided with perforations through which lacings may be threaded from which the tassels are suspended.

Tassels of the above-described type have usually been constituted of small rectangular sheets of leather or other flexible material slotted from one side toward the opposite side to produce tongues or fringes projecting from the margin at the said opposite side. The sheet is rolled about the unslotted margin into the form of a flattened ring, with the ends of the margin overlapping, and with a lacing interposed in the opening of the ring. The parts are then stapled together. This provides a tassel the tongues of which project from the unslotted rolled margin of the ring, with the free end of the lacing disposed in the space between the tongues.

Tassels of the above-described character have the defects that they are not symmetrical, owing to the overlapping ends of the rolled margin, and that the fringes thereof are limp, and do not retain their shape.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to pro vide a new and improved tassel that shall have the advan- I tage of symmetry and that shall retain its shape.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

With the above ends in view, the tassel of the present invention is constituted of a molded piece of a material, like polyethylene or other suitable plastic, that, in thin form, is resilient as distinguished from flexible, comprising a base from the periphery of one end wall of which project tongues or fringes that are thin enough to be resilient. These tassels keep their shape, because the fringes tend to return to their normal position when displaced therefrom. The base is centrally perforated to permit of threading a lacing therethrough.

The invention will now be explained more fully in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective, partly broken away, illustrating a preferred tassel embodying the present invention, substantially round or circular in transverse cross section,

and the tongues thereof being shown occupying their normal positions; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, showing the tongues displaced; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section showing the tassel mounted upon a lacing; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a preferred molding machine for manufacturing the preferred form of the tassel of the present invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, one or" the is a similar vertical section with the parts in relatively different positions, and with the formers all shown in vertical section; Fig. 6 is a plan of the machine, upon a smaller scale, showing the central part of the machine broken away along a horizontal section, taken upon the line 66 of .Fig. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section, taken upon the 77 of Fig. 4, upon a larger scale; and Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modified tassel that is 2,762,056 Patented Sept. 11, 1956 substantially square or rectangular in transverse crosssection.

The tassel of the present invention is constituted, in its preferred form, of a single unitary symmetrical piece of material that is resilient in thin form. The material may be a suitable plastic, and it is preferred to make it out of injection-molded polyethylene. The plastic may be White, or colored with a dye or pigment.

The tassel is shown as comprising a base 1 from the peripheral portions 2 of an end Wall 3 of which project tongues 4 that are thin enough to render them resilient. Being resilient, they tend automatically to return to their normal positions, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, when displaced therefrom, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The displacement is shown in Fig. 2 produced by pressing the tongues downward against a support. The base 1 is shown substantially cylindrical, so as to be substantially round or circular in transverse cross-section, in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. It is shown substantially square or rectangular in transverse cross-section in Fig. 8. The transverse cross-section may, of course, be of any other desired shape, such as oval, hexagonal, octagonal and so on. A transverse cross-section through the tongues or fringes may be of corresponding shape. The tassel is therefore rounded or flat-sided in transverse cross-section.

In Figs. l, 2,3 and 8, the base 1 is shown somewhat elongated and centrally bored or perforated between its end walls 3 and 6, as shown at 7, in order to permit of threading a lacing 8 therethrough into the space 9 between the tongues 4, which are shown longer than the base. The invention is the same, however, irrespective of whether the base is or is not elongated. The inner end wall 3 of the tassel is shown flat, and the outer end wall 6 convex, but they may have any other desired shape. The unperforated portion of the end wall 3, bounding the space 9 within the peripheral portions 2, constitutes an abutment for-engagement by a tie 10 on the free end of the lacing 8. The parts are held together without any stapling.

The illustrated machine for molding the tassel of the present invention shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises an upper stationary frame 12 and a lower frame 14 that may be reciprocated vertically toward and from the upper frame 12. The reciprocatory movement is guided by posts 16, fixed to the upper frame 12, that are received slidably within guide bores 18 in the lower frame 14.

Each tassel is produced by a pair of cooperating dies, shown as a female mold 20 and male former 22. The lower frame 14 is'provided with a plurality of the female molds 20. The upper parts of the female molds 20 are conically shaped to receive the correspondingly shaped male formers 22 provided upon the upper frame 12. The transverse cross-section of the molds 20 and the formers 22 will, of course, correspond to the desired transverse cross-sectional shape of the tassel. Thecrosssection of the molds 20 and the formers 22 is shown circular in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, to produce the round tassel shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The outer conical surfaces of the formers 22 are shown provided with longitudinally extending grooves 24, shown more particularly in elevation by Fig. 4. The conically shaped molds 2t however, are shown smooth. A similar result may, of course, be produced by having the formers 22 smooth, and providing the longitudinally extending grooves in the molds 2t}.

The grooves 24 are shaped to correspond to the tongues 4 of the tassel, and the lower portion of each conical former 22 is ungrooved,.as shown at 26, in Fig. 4, to correspond to the unfringed or untongued portion of the tassel between the tongues 4 and the end wall 3 of the tassel. The lower parts 25 .of the female molds 20, shown cylindrical, are provided with bores 27 shaped to corretion of the frame 14,

spond to the shape of the base 1 of the tassel. The bores 27 of the molds 20 are shown cylindrical, in order toprovide the tassel with the cylindrical base 1. The space between each pair of dies 20 and 22, therefore, is shaped to correspond to a tassel. How-the perforation or bore 7 of the tassel is formed will be described hereinafter.

The relative dimensions of the various parts of the molds 20 and correspondingly of the formers 22, may, of course, be chosen to given any desired shape and form to the tassel. end of the mold 20, for example, .may be varied, in order to vary the diameter of the fiat end wall 3 of the tassel.

The upper portions of the molds 20 are shown more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6 as connected with one another by means of horizontally disposed passages 28 in the upper surface of the lower frame 14. These passages 28, in turn, are connected with'a centrally disposed duct 30 that rises vertically through the upper frame 12 to a source 32 of liquid plastic supply. One of the grooves 24 of each former 22 is connected, as shown in Fig. 4, with a passage hole or gate 33 provided in the upper surface of the lower frame 11. The connecting holes 33 are very minute. In practice, parts of the passages 28 and the connecting holes 33 may be formed in the lower surface of the upper frame 12 and mating parts in the upper surface of the lower frame 14.

In operation, the lower frame 14,is first moved upwards, by means of vertically traveling push-rods 34, from its lowermost position, shown in Fig. 5, to its uppermost'position, shown in Fig. 4. Liquid plastic is then supplied from'the source 32, through the duct 30, to the connecting passages 28. From the connecting passages .28, the liquid plastic travels through the connecting-gate passage 33 of each male former 22, into the longitudinally extending groove 24 of this male former 22 that is connectedwith this connecting-gate passage 33. The liquid plastic then travels down this longitudinally extending groove 24, in

order to form one of the tongues 4, and into the spacebetween this male former 22 and its cooperating female mold 2th at the lower ungrooved portion 26 of the male former 22. From this space, the liquid plastic travels upward into the remaining grooves 24 of each male former 22, so as to form the remaining tongues 4, and also downward, into the bore 27 in the lower part of each female mold 20. The downward travel of the liquid plastic in the bores 27 becomes terminated'when it reaches the upper ends 36 of vertically disposed cylindrical sleeves 38. These upper ends 36 are disposed at'the lower ends of the bores 27 'at this time, when the frame 14 occupies its upper position, illustrated by Fig. 4. :It is the shape of these upper ends 36 of the sleeves 38, shown concave, that determines the convex shape of the outer end walls 6 of the tassels.

After a short time, the plastic hardens, under cooling provided by a liquid cooling system provided by ducts 58. The intake of the cooling system is shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 at 54 and the outlet at 56.

After the plastic has become hardened, the push-rods 34 are manipulated to return the lower frame 14'from its uppermost position, shown in Fig. 4, to its lowermost position, shown in Fig. 5. During such manipulation, the lower cylindrical parts 25 of the molds slide downward over the sleeves 38, from the position of 'Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 5, exposing the tasselsin the spacebetween the upper frame 12 and the lower frame .14, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

The perforations 7 in the tassels are provided by slidably mounting rods 37, thatare fixed to the lower frame 14, centrally in the sleeves 38. These rods 37, therefore, move upward with the frame 14. In the uppermost posihown in. Fig. 4, the upper ends of the rods 37 extend centrally through the bores 27 and also the upper conical portions of the female molds 20,

and into correspondingly shaped central vertically disposed grooves 141 of the male farmers '22. The grooves The width of the annulus 50 at the upper.

41 serve to guide the vertical movement of the rods 37.

With this construction, when the liquid plastic flows into the bores of the molds 20, as above described, therefore, it flows in these bores 27 around these rods 37, thus providing for the formation of the tassel perforations 7.

It should be added that, as appears from Figs. 4 and 5, the sleeves 38 do not partake of the reciprocatory movement of the frame 14, with the molds 20 and the rods 37 mounted thereon. The sleeves 38 are fixed upon a platform 39 that is held rigidly inplace, in fixed position, between the upper frame 12 .and the lower frame 14,.

spaced by spacing rods 40, the upper ends '52 of which engage against the under faces of the upper frame 12, and the lower ends of which are screwed into the platform 39. The platform 39 is held in its fixed position in space by posts 42 that rise upward from a stationary part 44 of the machine.

Upon the descent of the lower frame 14, from its uppermost position, shown in Fig. 4, to its lowermost position, shown in Fig. 5, the plastic tassels become suspended between the upper frame .12 and the lower frame 14, as shown in Fig. 5, connected together by plastic necks 46. These plastic necks 46 result from the fact that liquid plastic was disposed in the passages 28 at the time of the hardening of the plastic to produce the tassels. The tassels become separated from the plastic necks 46 by cutting away at the points 48 of their junction to the tassels. These points 48, of course, are positioned at the sites of the connecting gates 33, where the passages 28 connect with grooves 24 of the formers 22. The fact that the con' necting gates 33 are very small, as before described, makes it possible to make these cuts at the points 48 with very little effort.

Further modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

resilient in thin form, the tassel comprising an elongated base provided with a series of relatively thin tongues that extend from the base at one end thereof to form a substantially continuous fringe, the ton-ues being thin enough to render them resilient in order that they may tend automatically to return to their normal positions when displaced therefrom, and the base being provided with -a longitudinal bore in order to permit of threading a lacing therethrough.

2. A tassel comprising a molded piece of plastic that is resilient in thin form, the tassel comprising an elongated base provided with a series of relatively thin tongues that extend from the base at one end thereof to form a substantially continuous fringe, the-tongues being thin enough to render them resilient in order that they may tend automatically to return to their normal positions when displaced therefrom, the base being provided with a longitudinal bore in order to permit of threading a lacing therethrough, and the tongues being longer than thebase.

3. A tassel comprising a molded piece of plastic that is resilient in thin form, the tassel comprising .a base having a surface, said surface being provided with a substantially beingprovided with a bore in order topermit of threading a lacing therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Colby Jan. 31, 1933 Carlton Feb. 2, 1954 

